


all my sins surround me

by burnedbefore



Series: how to be me [1]
Category: Motherland: Fort Salem (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Angst, Bets, F/F, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Fluff, Multi, Slow Burn, abigail gets better i swear, idk how long this is gonna be, its not a good one, kinda sad if you think about it, raelle makes a bet, tally is just tryna have everyone get along
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-02
Updated: 2020-10-14
Packaged: 2021-03-07 20:02:03
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,842
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26763295
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/burnedbefore/pseuds/burnedbefore
Summary: Raelle grinned as she grasped the hand in front of her in a firm handshake."I can hardly wait till that beautiful car is mine, Bellweather."orAU where Raelle bets she can change Scylla completely and make her fall in love
Relationships: Abigail Bellweather & Raelle Collar & Tally Craven, Abigail Bellweather & Tally Craven, Abigail Bellweather & Tally Craven & Scylla Ramshorn, Raelle Collar/Scylla Ramshorn
Series: how to be me [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1942150
Comments: 26
Kudos: 96





	1. watching the birds fly, i see you

“What are you doing?”

Raelle blinked up in surprise at the figure towering over her sprawled form on the floor. The blonde scrunched her nose and squinted her eyes to figure out who exactly had interrupted her very casual fall to the hard concrete. 

“What?” 

A scoff came from the shadowed body in front of her. 

A girl. 

At least that’s what Raelle could assume from her position on the ground. Her chin tilted up to see more clearly, sort blonde hair flowing freely behind her. The sight of lean shoulders, a sharp jaw, collarbone length chocolate hair and hues of dark blue and green mixed with the glare of the sun in her eyes. Raelle lifted a hand in front of her face, trying to block out the sun. A dark scarf swayed violently in the wind between them. The only saving grace of the worn fabric joining the swirling leaves were long, slender fingers, grasping the material tightly. 

“I asked if you were okay.” The girl repeated. 

Suddenly, her other hand came out, stopping in between them in the empty space.

Raelle stared at the pale hand. 

“I don’t bite.” The girl raised her eyebrows suggestively. “Unless you say please.”

“Good one.” Raelle rolled her eyes, already in an annoyed state due to her ungraceful fall. Her hand coming up to grasp the other and hoisting herself off the cold ground. “Thanks.”

Raelle stood up, dropping the girl’s hand quickly to brush off her blue jeans of any potential dirt or gravel that may have collected on her, ahem, journey to the concrete. 

A small smile tugged at the corner of the girl’s lips. Her deep blue eyes sparkling with amusement. 

“The wind.” The girl spoke up and tilted her head, smile growing wider at Raelle’s confusion at the word choice before speaking again. “Sounds like a freight train.” She shrugged, not bothering to hide the, now, wide grin. "Guess you didn’t know wind could cut rock?”

Raelle opened her mouth to reply, words sharp on her tongue to catapult towards the girl. Suddenly, her eyebrows furrowed and mouth closed.

‘Not the time.’ The blonde thought, shaking her head. 

“I have to get to class.” She muttered, feet starting to back away from the dark haired girl.

“Oh.” The girl said, face falling slightly before another small smile appeared. “Yeah. I wouldn’t be late if I were you.”

“Right.” Raelle responded flatly, ignoring the small tightness of her chest at the sight of the girl’s slight frown. 

“Thanks again, I guess.” She yelled over her shoulder, back already turned as she grabbed her backpack and sprinted to her next class. 

When she got to the lecture hall, Raelle hastily sat down in an empty seat in the back, ignoring the questioning glances from Tally and glares from Abigail. 

The encounter with the brunette already forgotten.

-

“What were you thinking?” Abigail Bellweather questioned, pacing back and forth in front of the stacked bunkbeds in their dorm. 

Raelle and Tally sat crisscross on the blonde’s mattress, each with a good amount of cards in their hands and a stack between them. The blankets were shoved to the foot of the bed and pillows were leaning on the wall, discarded.

“It was an accident, Bellweather. Cool it.” Raelle rolled her eyes at the taller girl, lazily putting a card down in between her and Tally. “Plus four.”

Tally groaned. Reluctantly taking the amount from another pile, she shot the blonde a frown.

“This is the third time.” Abigail stopped in front of the blonde, crossing her arm with a furious expression on her face. “These classes are important and you need to understand that-“

“I understand-”

“You don’t.” Abigail cut her off, releasing a sigh of frustration. “We need to be a Unit. That means being together, working together, and growing together. So we can be better for each other. These classes need your understanding-”

“Oh, Abigail, you know I love our classes.”

“I think,” Tally quickly jumped in, sensing the growing tension in the air, ignoring Raelle’s protest when she sets down her cards, “that Abigail means we are better if we learn together.”

Raelle scoffed.

“And Raelle is telling the truth,” Tally continued, grabbing her cards again, eyes scanning her hand. A wide grin appeared on her face. 

“Plus four, reverse, green, reverse, and-” She placed her last card down, leaning forward on her elbows, resting on her knees, dimples popping. “Uno.”

Raelle groaned, throwing her cards in front of her, pouting. 

“You’re a shark. This is unjust-”

“I’ll show you unjust-“

“Abigail-”

“She’s lying-”

“No, I’m not-”

“So, you just happen to run into some girl on the sidewalk-”

“Yes! Is that so hard to believe for a High Atlan-”

“Bullshit!-”

“Okay!” The redhead yelled, standing up from the bed and putting herself between her two roommates. “I think everyone just needs to calm down. Why don’t we listen to Raelle’s story, okay?”

Abigail and Raelle grumbled, pouting slightly before listening to the redhead, slightly afraid of the fury that can come out of her. 

Tally raised her eyebrows at Raelle.

With a sigh, the blonde stood up, facing both of them with a sheepish look on her face. 

“I was walking to class-”

“Running.”

Raelle glared at the brunette.

“I was walking to class.”

Tally elbowed Abigail in the stomach, causing the brunette to raise her hands in mock surrender.

“Anyways,” Raelle continued, huffing, “I was walking to class and I wasn’t looking where I was going. I ran into a girl and tripped onto the concrete.”

Abigail raised her eyebrows.

“That’s it?” 

Another huff.

“Yes. That’s it. She kept talking and I couldn’t get away.”

She watched as Tally tilted her head, intrigued, nudging the girl next to her significantly softer and exchanging knowing glances between the two of them.

“Who was it?” Tally cleared her throat, trying to take down the excited tone to her voice.

Raelle stared back incredulously.

“I don’t know. Some girl.”

_

Raelle, Tally, and Abigail sat together in the cafeteria, their lunches finished and forgotten. The three were talking amongst themselves, ignoring the rest of the room as they indulged in each other’s terribly hilarious gossip of the week. 

Raelle was barely listening. 

The two had practically jumped the blonde, grabbing her things and then her, pulling Raelle to the cafeteria to spend time together. 

It was sweet, but she would never let them know that. 

As Tally rambled on about what she had heard in the bathroom stall—Raelle didn’t want to know why she was there for so long—her eyes wandered around the cafeteria over the tired and motionless figures surrounding them. 

A sudden flick of dark brown hair caught her attention. 

Turning her head to the side, she found herself looking at a familiar set of lean shoulders and deep blue eyes. 

The ones she had practically ran into the other day. 

The brunette was sitting at one of the tables alone. There was a book in front of her, opened to the very middle and decorated with complicated sketches and small paragraphs that looked very difficult to understand. Her shoulders slightly hunched, more into herself than anything, eyes hardened and bland, holding a small storm in the orbs. It was as if she was trying to shield herself away from the world, daring anyone to try to climb and scale the walls she put up. It was weird. Different. 

She looked sad.

‘Guarded.’ Raelle had thought, worrying her bottom lip. 

“Earth to Collar.” Abigail’s voice rang in the blonde’s ears, tearing her away from her observations. “What the hell are you looking at, Shitbird?” She leaned over Tally’s shoulder, trying to get a glance at what the blonde was so interested in. 

“Whatever.” Raelle grumbled, turning her attention back to her friends, stealing one last glance at the dark-haired stranger. 

“Wait. Were you looking at Necro?” Abigail’s voice came out very slowly, lowering an octave as her words came out cautiously. Tally slapped her weakly in the arm. 

“What the fu-”

Raelle furrowed her eyebrows. 

“Who?”

“She means Scylla.” Tally spoke up, cutting the brunette off, grabbing a grape off of her tray before popping it in her mouth. “The brunette you were staring at.” She continued based off of Raelle’s still scrunched up expression.

Scylla.

A bitter scoff came from Abigail. 

“They call her ‘Necro’ for a reason, Tally.”

The redhead shrugged, deciding to eat her fruit instead of adding to the remark. 

“What-” Raelle stopped, sneaking another glance before turning back to her friends. “Is there something weird about her?”

“I would stay away from that one, Raelle.” Abigail stood up, picking up her tray, shooting a warning glance at the shorter blonde. 

“A terrible past and an even worse personality. Ramshorn is not someone you want in your life.”

Ramshorn.

Scylla Ramshorn.

Huh.


	2. the nordic sea, so deep and blue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Scylla wasn’t naive.
> 
> She knew what she looked like to people around her.

Scylla wasn’t naive.

She knew what she looked like to people around her. 

Standoffish.

Guarded.

Intense.

Steely blue eyes hardened over with a storm raging on the inside that only seemed to grow with each passing day. Her ragged dark hair brushing against her collarbones adding to the guarded demeanor with some pieces framing her face. A tensed expression fixed on her face with a tight jaw. 

She was always kept at arms length. 

On the outside always looking in. 

Scylla didn’t mind, she knew she was odd. The brunette understood that what had happened to her as a child did a mark on her and she attempted little damage control. 

So, no, Scylla didn’t care—even if it hurt more than it should.

-

The wind howled in Scylla’s era as she walked down the narrow sidewalk, feet slapping against the concrete with each rhythmic step. A shiver ran through her body, causing her to pull the heavy fleece coat around her frame tighter. 

Goddess, she was tired.

Her late night study session had ran a little too late—okay, really late—resulting in three empty cans of energy drinks, swollen eyes, and a migraine that made her head pound. She was barely paying attention, eyes focused blearily in front of her, watching as the lines of the concrete passed her. 

Suddenly her body collided with something firm, her body stumbling back a few steps. Quick anger sparked in her, mouth opening to question what, or who, just slammed into her carelessly.

“What the hell.” A rough voice sounded below the brunette, stopping Scylla in her tracks.

Bright blonde hair sprawled against the gray concrete, caught the sun’s reflection in the silky strands, surrounding the girl’s head like a halo. The girl has pale skin, only a couple shades darker than Scylla’s, a defined jawline outlined by an apparent scar running diagonal to her thin lips. Bright blue eyes stared back into her own.

Scylla felt the air in her lungs escape. 

The blonde groaned, rubbing her forehead.

“What are you doing?” Scylla stumbled over her words, ignoring the rising heat in her cheeks. 

She watched as the blonde squinted against the bright sun, picking up her head and tilting it up to get a closer look of whom she just ran into. 

“What?”

Scylla scoffed lightly.

“I asked if you were okay?” She asked differently, deciding to go with another approach as the recognition of anger in the bright eyes. 

Scylla shot out her hand, extending her fingers in an invitation.

The blonde raised her eyebrows skeptically.

“I don’t bite.” Scylla bit back a grin, trying to hide her uneasiness. “Unless you say please.”

A sort laugh passed through the girl’s lips, grasping Scylla’s hand and pulling herself up. The blonde gave a short thanks, hastily let go of her hand—she ignored the sudden disappointment—and moving to wipe off her clothing. 

A smile tugged on her lips. 

“The wind.” Scylla stated, biting her lower lip as the girl gave a confused look. “Sounds like a freight train. Guess you didn’t know wind could cut rock?”

The brunette watched the girl’s mouth open and close, deciding against something before shaking her head. 

“I have to get to class.”

Scylla frowned.

The blonde grabbed the backpack off the ground, shouting another short response over shoulder before sprinting off to a nearby building until she disappeared through the glass door.

Scylla didn’t know why it was suddenly hard to breathe.

-

“What’s up with you?” Bryon asked, collapsing on the brunette’s bed without warning.

Scylla rolled her eyes, choosing to ignore him and read from her textbook in front of her. 

Bryon was her closest friend.

Okay, only friend. 

The boy had been with Scylla through and through. 

They had met when they were only small children, barely able to speak full sentences but able to understand the connection between the two. As they grew up, the two became closer, even through the most hardest and lowest times of Scylla’s life, Bryon was there. 

Scylla was forever grateful for him. 

Something hit the back of her head, bouncing off and landing on the floor with a click.

‘Maybe not today though.’ Scylla thought, shaking her head.

The brunette turned around in her chair with a raised eyebrow.

“Can I help you?” 

Bryon groaned, flopping on his back with his limbs spread.

“You’re being weird-”

“I’m always weird.” She argued, leaning her back to rest against the cushion of her chair. 

Bryon shot her a halfhearted glare.

“You know I don’t mean it like that, Scyl.” 

She sighed. Pushing off of her thighs, she joined Bryon on the bed, laying next to him as the two of them stared at the peeling ceiling of her dorm. 

“I know.” Scylla murmured, closing her eyes at the peace settling between them. “I think you’re the only one who knows me.”

“Scyl-”

“You are.” Scylla opened her eyes, turning her head to meet dark orbs watching her back. “Thank you, Bryon.”

She bit her lip, unsure of whether to share what happened to her earlier in the day before a large hand came out with rest on her arm, squeezing softly. 

“I ran into someone today.” The brunette breathed, shifting her jaw causing it to pop out and back into place. 

Bryon was silent. 

“She was-” Scylla stopped, careful considering her words before continuing. “She was neutral.”

A snort came from the body next to her.

“Neutral?” Bryon asked between laughs. “That’s what you came up with?”

Scylla hit him in the stomach.

“Shut up.” She warned jokingly, rolling her eyes affectionately. Suddenly, the brunette quieted down and waited for Bryon to do the same. “It felt like I couldn’t breathe.”

Bryon suddenly sat up in alarm, eyes wide in concern.

“Did she do something to you?” He demanded, roaming over her body to check for any physical signs of harm or foul play.

Scylla shook her head, cheeks reddening from embarrassment and something else. 

“No,” She murmured, words unsure and quiet under her breathe, “it was nice.”  


“Oh.” Bryon breathed, finally relaxing after his friend’s assurance. He settled back down next to her, his hand still resting on her arm.

His voice held an unsure tone even after many years. “You’d tell me if something happened, right?”

“Of course.”

Silence settled between them, a nice stillness captured in the small dorm that hid them away from the busy outside world. It was nice, in Scylla’s opinion, to be able to let go with someone and be herself. Not having to hold up her walls that she so desperately wanted to get rid of but also have to protect herself from anything else that could cause more harm. 

Scylla only had Bryon to do that with. 

No one else.

Bryon nudged her in the side, face still forward as he spoke up to the ceiling with a sad smile.

“I didn’t do anything you know.”

A bitter chuckle fell from her lips. She shrugged weakly, her hand coming up to her arm and covering his tightly. The words she whispered into the light air echoing in her own mind and reverberating in the thin walls.

“You stayed.”


	3. haven of darkness, one of a kind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Hey.”
> 
> Blue eyes met her own.
> 
> Shit.
> 
> It was her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> guys, the number is a bunch of X's cause I didn't want to put a random number in.  
> also, thank you so much for the comments and kudos! I love them all and really appreciate it :)

“So,” Raelle began, leaning against the wall on her bed, “Scylla Ramshorn.” The blonde ignored the odd stares from her roommates, choosing to continue on her quest for any kind of information on the mysterious brunette. “What’s she like?”

Abigail stared at her as if she had grown two heads, eyes wide incredulously. “Why are you asking about Necro?”

Raelle shrugged, keeping her vision on the phone grasped in her hands, scrolling carelessly.

“I was just asking.”

“Well, stop asking-”

“Abigail.” Tally spoke lowly, warning both girls to simmer down what ever was already starting to brew in the air. The redhead turned back to Raelle, biting her lip before speaking. “Scylla is…guarded.” Unsure eyes flickered over to the side of the room nervously as a bark of laughter escaped from the taller girl amongst the three.

“Yeah, that’s one way of putting it.” Abigail mumbled, pulling a sweatshirt over her head. She grumbled to herself and grabbing the short brown locks into her hands out of the hood. “The girl doesn’t talk to anyone except that one kid-”

“Bryon. He’s really nice.” Tally piped up.

“Bryon.” Abigail finished without looking at Tally, her focus on the blonde in front of her. “She keeps to herself.”

“Okay.” Raelle drawer out, shifting closer to the edge of the mattress and swinging her legs. Her eyebrows furrowed in concentration as she tried to make sense of the information.

Suddenly, her eyes narrowed.

“Why don’t you like Scylla?”

“I have my reasons, Raelle.” Abigail’s jaw clenched, her anger seeming to flood back in the moment.

“What are they?” The blonde shot back, fury invading her tone.

“Personal.”

“I thought we didn’t have secrets, Bellweather.”

“This is different-”

“What happened to ‘Rah, rah, unity!’” Raelle scoffed, standing up from her place on her bed. The shorter girl took quick strides across the room and barely stopping in front of the brunette, nose touching the other’s dangerously. “What about that? Cause all I see in front of me is a hypocrite.”

Abigail snarled.

“If you want to get to know Necro so bad why don’t you do it?”

“Is that a challenge?” Raelle raised her eyebrows, leaning back ever so slightly to look at the girl more clearly.

“Consider it a deal.” The brunette’s lips curled into a soft grin. “I know how much you hate walking everywhere for class.”

Raelle suddenly felt uneasy.

“I’ll give you my car for the rest of the year.”

“What’s the catch?” The blonde swallowed.

“You change Scylla and make her fall in love with you.”

A sudden tightness appeared in her chest, working its way up to her throat. Her cheeks felt hot as a the unfamiliar pressure crept up on her from behind. The blonde felt uneasy at the mere thought of playing with someone’s emotions for a bet or a personal gain. Though the way Abigail was staring at her with cocky smirk made Raelle want to wipe off no matter what the cost—and she was right, Raelle hated walking everywhere. The blonde looked at her other roommate and her worried expression, but didn’t say anything. Raelle turned to the taller brunette, ignoring the sense of dread in the pit of her stomach.

“Is that a deal?” A open palm reached out between them.

Raelle grinned as she grasped the hand in front of her in a firm handshake.

“I can hardly wait till that beautiful car is mine, Bellweather.”

-

Scylla rolled her neck to the side with a barely held back wince. The stiff tendons screaming in agony as she ignored the pains and kept attempting to soothe them the hard way. After her sleep over with Bryon, she had woke up in the awkward position with her neck arched to the side and her friend no where to be seen, probably having to leave to not be late to class.

Her hand moved swiftly across the textbooks sprawled out in front of her, taking notes and occasionally blowing that one strand of hair out of her face before hastily rereading the section she had missed. It had been going on like this for three hours so far, and Scylla made no sign of stopping any time soon.

The library was quiet, as a library should be, but it was more quiet than usual. Scylla expected more chatter from the people around her. The area was usually filled with students studying with their friends, who ended up leaving after two hours of attempted focus.

Now, it was seemingly just her and a couple other tired and burnt out students.

Scylla sighed and straightened out her back, which was stiff from hunching over for so long. The brunette leaned back carelessly, eyes closing for a moment of much needed rest.

Only for a little bit.

“Hey.”

Her eyes popped open at the sudden intrusion of her attempted mini nap. The sight of cropped, messy blonde hair swept to the side, revealing four neatly tight braids, caught her attention.

Blue eyes met her own.

Shit.

It was her.

The girl tilted her head, a warm smile on her lips as her eyes seemed to trace Scylla’s form.

“You’re Scylla, right?”

She swallowed, nodding as she gazed back. Alarms were going off in her mind at the sudden conversation by the blonde and her heart uncharacteristically beat out of time.

Scylla watched as the girl in front of her, awkwardly put a hand down to rest on her table, leaning against it casually.

“I’m Raelle.” The blonde picked up the same hand, holding it out for the brunette to take. Scylla stared at the offending hand, raising her eyebrows. “Oh, um,” The girl- Raelle cleared her throat, letting her limb drop back to the place on the wooden table, “I just wanted to apologize for the other day?”

“When you ran into me?” Scylla found herself responding flatly with a pointed look written across her features.

A small chuckle escaped past Raelle’s lips. She rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly as a pretty blush graced her cheeks.

“Sorry about that.” The blonde mumbled. “Not my greatest moment with the person you want to impress.”

Scylla’s interest peaked despite her inner protests.

“What?”

“Oh, shit-” Raelle fumbled over her words, moving her hands in front of her frantically, “-I, um, can you forget I said that? Please.” She said almost desperately.

“Probably not.” The brunette responded. The corner of her mouth twitched upwards and the spark in her eyes relit at the sight of Raelle’s sincereness. “You wanted to impress me?” The words sounded foreign in her own mouth.

Raelle swallowed, shifting on her feet as she refused to meet Scylla’s eyes.

“I see you around all the time.” The blonde explained, peering at her through long eyelashes. “I would really like to get to know you. Actually you, not a persona.”

Scylla froze.

Sure, the brunette had been pursued before, she wasn’t a prude, but they had all ended up with the same result. All of them wanted one thing only from her and once they got it, they left.

Scylla had grown used to it.

But the gentle request from the blonde had her heart beating and cheeks warm.

Then the alarms ringing in her head became louder, warning her of something she couldn’t pick up. Her defenses came rising up and shielded her away from anything possibly good. Years of protecting herself from anything unknown kicked back into gear like a well oiled machine as Scylla grew distant and more guarded.

“Why?” She snapped, eyes losing their spark and replaced by something cold.

She watched uneasiness fill the blonde’s bright blue eyes for a moment before easily pushing it away with confidence.

“I think there’s more to what people think about you.” A smirk curled on her pink lips. “And I would like to be the one to figure it out.” Raelle paused as she thought over her words. Suddenly, her face dropped into something more passive, voice barely above a whisper. “If you let me.”

“I don’t know you.” Scylla responded tightly, ignoring the giddy feeling in her stomach at the sight of such an endearing expression.

“Yet.” Raelle spoke softly. Her hand dug around in the front pocket of the gray hoodie she was wearing. She pulled something out, grasping something tightly in her hand before sliding it over in front of one of Scylla’s many textbooks and notebooks. “I’ll see you around, Scylla.”

The blonde turned around and started to walk away, only peaking over her shoulder once to flash the brunette a warm smile.

Scylla’s mouth went dry at the sight of a crumpled and folded piece of paper sitting patiently on the old wood. Reaching out, she grasped it in her palm and stared at the object as her cheeks flushed from the sudden gesture.

After hesitating for a few moments, Scylla hastily unfolded the paper, wincing at the smaller sound of it crinkling. Blue eyes traced over the pencil scratched words in the middle, slightly smeared from being folded many times and stuffed carelessly in a sweatshirt pocket.

_xxx-xxx-xxxx_

_Raelle Collar :)_

“Shit.” Scylla breathed.


	4. it is always you, i have on my mind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “You’re Bryon, right?” She asked, somehow shifting the items to one side and holding out her hand for him to take. “I’m-”
> 
> “Raelle Collar.” He finished with a hard look on his face, cocking his head to the side. “I know who you are.”
> 
> “Oh.”

Scylla couldn’t walk fast enough. 

Her legs carried her swiftly down the hall, eyes darting from door to door at each silver number on the side. “Come on.” She muttered under her breath, nearly holding back a gasp of relief when the familiar door came into sight. 

Scylla rammed her fist against the dark oak, knocking hastily until the door swung open, revealing a disheveled Bryon rubbing his eyes. 

“You’re here.” Scylla breathed, pushing her way in his dorm and ignoring Bryon’s weak protests. “Something happened and it’s good, or at least I think it’s good.”

Bryon closed the door, leaning his back against the wood with raised eyebrows. He watched as the brunette paced back and forth in the middle of the small dorm room, a warm smile on his face. It was about time something has happened to his best friend, and it was way past time for something good to come out of it. 

He had known Scylla since childhood. 

Bryon had introduced himself after finding her playing on the swing alone with a frog in her hands. The sharp blue eyes had captured his young mind instantly, drawing him in despite people’s protests. It only made Bryon want to befriend her more. 

“Her name is Raelle.” Scylla burst out, turning around on her heels to face him, hands scrambling to the front pockets of her jeans before pulling out a crumpled piece of paper and holding it out in front of her. “She gave me this.” 

“And this is?” Bryon questioned, taking the paper.

“A number.” She mumbled before laying down on his unmade bed, face smushed in the blue cotton sheets.

Bryon raised his eyebrows, opening up the crinkled paper to reveal exactly what Scylla had said. 

A name and number. 

He frowned slightly before forcing a grin on his face, hyperaware of blue eyes watching. 

“You also got a smiley face. I’m impressed, Scyl.”

A groan escaped her lips, muffled by the mattress, before picking up her head weakly. 

“What do I do?” Scylla exclaimed, avoiding his gaze. Her cheeks flushed in sudden embarrassment. “I’ve never had to worry about these kind of things.” 

Her voice quieted. 

“Not since with them.”

A tinge of sadness fell upon the dorm room upon the mention of Scylla’s past. 

She didn’t talk a lot about it. 

She didn’t talk a lot about herself. 

It was something that he had grown used to—even if he longed to help—with her. Bryon only knew bits and piece, which was sure a hell of a lot more than everyone else. Though, that meant rare moments like these, where he caught a glimpse of the door cracking a little, he took with grace and patience. 

“Well,” He started, crossing over to the bed, finding themselves the same place they always find themselves in on late nights with a warm smile, “you have me now.” He elbowed her side as she flipped onto her back. “And that means being the best wingman a woman can have.”

Scylla chuckled lowly, turning her head with a grin. 

“I thought that was supposed to be me.”

Bryon shrugged, moving his head side to side in mock thought.

“You can help me when I have another itch-”

“Bryon!”

“What? It’s true!”

A peal of laughter rang out between them, replacing the air with something warm despite the previous sad thoughts. As Scylla rambled on about a certain topic she learned in class beside him, he couldn’t help the frown that settled on his face. The worried thoughts running through his mind only worsened the feeling of dread building in his stomach. 

Raelle Collar was a well known student to the University. Short, blonde, crystal blue eyes, and a temper so fierce that had professors spinning on their heads. Admittedly, Bryon admired her for her bravery to standing by her morals and saying ‘yes’ when everyone else told her ‘no’. Though, she was also known as the quite the partier, despite being friends with Abigail Bellweather, and an active non-advocate for serious relationships. 

Bryon knew that but Scylla didn’t. 

He clenched his jaw at the mere thought of Scylla becoming another one of the blonde’s quest. 

“Bryon?”

“Hmm?” Bryon hummed, a distant look in his eyes.

A raise to her eyebrows.

“I asked if you wanted to go grab some snacks?”

“Oh. Yeah. Let’s go.” He mumbled, scrunching his face up in thought before he stood up from his place on the bed. He pulled on his jacket and shoes, watching with a warm look as Scylla popped up excitedly at the accepted snack run. 

Bryon needed to talk to Raelle.

-

“We need to get dried seaweed.” Scylla exclaimed, roaming down the aisles at the nearby drugstore, searching the arranged snacks. 

“You know I don’t like it.” Bryon groaned.

“But.” Scylla drawled out, grinning mischievously. “I do and that means more for me.”

“You’re evil, Ramshorn.”

“Just enough.”

Scylla winked. Her eyes lit up at the sight of her designated snack, practically skipping the the shelf to grab more than enough of the package. 

“Only two, Scyl!” He called over his shoulder, shaking his head as he headed to a different aisle. “I swear, she’s going to make me run out of money and for seaweed out of all things.”

Bryon sighed, stopping at the candy aisle despite his stomach’s protest. 

“I shouldn’t be doing this.” He mumbled, grabbing a package of chocolates and dropping it into the basket hanging from his fingertips. 

“I think you should. Candy fixes the worst shit.”

Bryon spun around, eyes wide in alarm at the sudden voice next to him. 

His eyes hardened. 

Raelle Collar stood mere feet from him, dawned in red sweatpants, white hoodie, and a matching red beanie, her lips curved into a friendly smile. The snacks and drinks she held in her arms overwhelming him with the bright colors. 

“You’re Bryon, right?” She asked, somehow shifting the items to one side and holding out her hand for him to take. “I’m-”

“Raelle Collar.” He finished with a hard look on his face, cocking his head to the side. “I know who you are.”

“Oh.” 

Raelle let her hand drop to her side, awkwardly shifting her eyes before landing on him once more. 

“From good things, I hope.” The blonde joked nervously with a chuckle, receiving a disapproving look from Bryon. Raelle faltered, using her free hand to rub the back of her neck. “You’re Scylla’s friend, right?”

“Yes.” Bryon said, crossing his arms as if to dare Raelle to say something she’ll regret. “Why are you asking?”

“I, uh-” She shifted on her feet, “-I just wanted to ask if she was good. I sort of gave her something and I haven’t heard back-”

“Oh, I know what you gave her.” He responded flatly, eyes holding a protecting gleam. “Why?”

Blue eyes widened.

“Um-”

“Bryon, I’ve been waiting for you in the front for five minutes now.” Scylla’s voice came behind him, startling both him and Raelle as the brunette walked blindly to her friend’s side, focused on the many packages held in her arms. 

“Hey, Scylla.” Raelle smiled, waving her hand awkwardly before quickly moving to secure a loose snack that had escaped during her and Bryon’s exchange. 

Scylla looked up in shock, her eyes shifting between the two before taking in the blonde. 

“Hi.” She looked at Bryon with confused eyes.

“I ran into her while I was picking up my chocolate-”

“Which you shouldn’t have to begin with-”

“Not the time, Scyl.” He whispered, turning to the blonde with a pained smile. “We were having a nice conversation. Just catching up.”

“Oh, uh, yeah.” Raelle nodded, a faint blush on her cheeks as Scylla looked at both of them curiously. “He was helping me with my candy choice.” 

“Okay.” The brunette cleared her throat as the three of them stood awkwardly in the middle of the candy aisle, not sure what to do in the situation. Scylla gave the boy a pointed look, jerking her head to the side, signaling his exit. 

“Fine.” He muttered, his hands catching on her elbow, squeezing softly. “I’ll be upfront.”

Raelle avoided his hard gaze, making a point to stare at the tiles of the floor instead, listening as his footsteps faded before letting out a sigh of relief. 

“So,” she started, a nervous smile stretching her lips, “Bryon is…”

“A lot.” Scylla finished flatly, eyeing the blonde with unsure eyes. “He can be…protective.”

“I get that.” Raelle smiled, taking a step closer. Crystal eyes lighting up at the sight of the brunette and Scylla suddenly felt aware of her burning skin. “It’s nice that you have someone like that.”

Scylla let out a breathy chuckle, the grip of the seaweed packages tightening as the distance between the two lessened. 

“Look,” The blonde started, her eyes darting around as if aware of someone watching them. She worried her lower lip between her teeth, “I’m sorry if I seemed to forward or made you uncomfortable in some way-“

“No,” Scylla practically shouted, shrinking into herself at the volume level of her voice, “no, I just…”

Raelle waited patiently, offering a small smile to the brunette and taking another step. 

“I just don’t know how to deal with this sort of thing.” The shorter girl struggled as she tried to word her thoughts. Scylla watched as the smile on the blonde’s face widened and took one more step before stopping right in front of her, body heat radiating off of each other. 

“If you do want to deal with this sort of thing,” Raelle whispered, eyes darkening slightly, gleaming with something victoriously, “I’m with you.”

“And if I don’t?” Scylla challenged breathlessly, heat surging through her body. 

Raelle grinned.

“I like a challenge.”


	5. watching the snow fall, i see you

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Raelle?”
> 
> “Scylla.” The blonde breathed, giving into the grin that was tugging at her lips. 
> 
> “Weird seeing you here.”
> 
> The eyebrow raised higher in amusement.

Raelle was nervous.

As the blonde stood outside the strange looking building, a weird abstract design (Raelle wouldn’t know), a sudden wave of uneasiness washed over her, her hands and arms tingling at the sensation. Crossing her arms, Raelle released a long breath of air into the newly cold atmosphere engulfing her.

“Should of worn a coat.”

She closed her eyes as an attempt to block out the surroundings and trying to remember why she was standing out in the cold. She certainly did not want to be but Raelle took her side of an agreement seriously.

So, Raelle was here for one reason only: to see Scylla.

The blonde also hoped Scylla would not be uncomfortable with the many recent attempts that may or may not have been huge gestures in public. If you count showing up to the brunette’s dorm with a shit ton of flowers and candy or sending said flowers to her class when she doesn’t accept them the first time.

Raelle really needed to win this bet.

“Raelle?” A low voice came from behind her, breaking the blonde out of her thoughts and causing her to turn to face the confused brunette. A raised eyebrow and small frown embraced her features and Raelle’s chest tightened at the somber expression.

“Scylla.” The blonde breathed, giving into the grin that was tugging at her lips. “Weird seeing you here.”

The eyebrow raised higher in amusement.

“This is my dorm.” Scylla tilted her head, crossing her arms over her chest. “You left me two bouquets of flowers last week.”

Raelle swallowed.

“Right. I did do that.”

Scylla sighed, running one of her hands down the side of her face tiredly. Blue pained eyes looked at the blonde, searching for a moment, finding nothing they dulled, filling with something much sadder.

“What are you doing, Raelle?” She murmured, shifting her weight between her two feet.

“I-” Raelle took a step forward, ignoring the sudden flare of heat on her cheeks, “-I wanted to walk you to your next class-“

“No.” Scylla said firmly, clenching her jaw. The same pained expression returned, holding on as more and more tension seeped through her resolve. “I mean what are you doing?”

“Wha-”

“What are you doing here?” The brunette lowered her voice. She looked off to the side briefly before shaking her head to turn back to the speechless blonde.

“What are you doing with me?”

Raelle stared at the brunette, eyes widened in fear as a sense of dread washed over her. The first thought that popped into her mind was the bet she had made with Abigail. Though, she was certain that Scylla would not have found out about it, given her current social status. Instead, the blonde opened her mouth helplessly, unsure of what to do or say.

Scylla scoffed lightly, shaking her head head again before settling her attention on the concrete below her.

“I know who I am, Raelle.” She began, her tone cold and callous.

“I know what people say about me, what they hear, and what they think happened to my parents.”

“Scylla-”

“I’m not naive, Raelle.” Scylla snapped, fire flickering in her stormy eyes that made the blonde freeze.

“And I don’t think I’m out of line when I say it’s weird when The Raelle Collar starts to talk to the campus outcast.”

“Wait-” Raelle furrowed her eyebrows, holding her hands in front of her in slight panic, “-Scyl, that’s not what this is-”

“I’m not going to be another notch on your bedpost, Collar.”

“Scylla.” The blonde had been taking small steps until she was in front of the brunette with concerned eyes. She grasped Scylla’s hands, waiting for any form of protest before continuing.

“That’s not what this is.”

Scylla’s eyes flickered between places, trying to ignore the piercing blue eyes that were watching her and leaving a searing trace of heat. Her shoulders dropped in defeat and the fire in her eyes fizzled out like a match being blown out by the wind.

“I’ve been burned before.” The brunette murmured, lifting her chin to peer at Raelle under her eyelashes.

Raelle’s heart clenched at the sight of the wary vulnerability hidden in pretty blue eyes.

“I don’t play with fire.” She pressed her forehead against the brunette’s, taking a deep breath as she forced the next set of words off her tongue. “I won’t hurt you. Not like that. Especially with fire because that’s a safety hazard.”

Scylla laughed tearily with wet eyes, chewing on her lower lip nervously.

“Walk me back?” The brunette whispered, pulling back slightly with a weak smile and a new hopeful look.

The feeling of guilt weighed heavy on Raelle’s chest, growing stronger as Scylla watched with soft eyes and a timidly happy smile, gripping their hands together.

She could still get out of this. She could tell Scylla right now and get it over with to avoid any further heartache Sure, she would have to deal with Abigail’s annoying teasing about not being strong enough to go through with it, but the way the brunette was looking at her made Raelle’s chest hurt and hands sweat.

“Raelle?” Scylla murmured, the light in her eyes dimming right before the blonde and causing panic to flood her veins.

_Do it._

_Tell her._

“Raelle?”

_You’re going to hurt her._

“Are you okay?”

_Tell her._

“Hey.” Scylla squeezed her hand, worried eyes tracing over the blonde’s body for any sign of clues to the sudden frozen state.

“You okay?”

_You’re going to hurt her._

“Yeah. I’m okay.” Raelle plastered an overconfident grin in her face, ignoring the burning sensation in her chest.

For the first time around the blonde, Scylla’s lips curled into a grin as she pulled Raelle in the direction of her next class, swinging their hands back and forth in between them, content and more calmed about the words the blonde had spoke.

_You should of told her._

_Why didn't you tell her?_


End file.
